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Florida authorities agreed to pay 485,000 dollars to a state biologist who was dismissed in 2025 after sharing a satirical post on social media regarding the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
Brittney Brown, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), was fired in September 2025 after reposting a humorous post from a whale account on her private Instagram story that said: “Whales are deeply saddened by the shooting of Charlie Kirk. Haha, just kidding...”.
Brown was off duty and out of state when she shared the post, but the X account "Libs of TikTok" amplified it, generating public pressure on the FWC.
The agency fired her, citing "operational disruption" and "hundreds of complaints," arguments that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida labeled as false or exaggerated during the legal proceedings.
Brown sued the FWC Executive Director, Roger Young, and Division Director Melissa Tucker, for retaliation and viewpoint discrimination under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.
The case, known as Brown v. Young, was brought before the federal court for the Northern District of Florida.
During the litigation, the court sanctioned an FWC official for false statements and the defending firm for vexatious litigation, which weakened the State's position.
With the trial scheduled for June 15, 2026, the parties reached an agreement before entering the courtroom.
Of the total 485,000 dollars, 275,000 directly correspond to Brown: 40,000 as back pay and 235,000 in compensatory damages.
The remaining 210,000 dollars cover fees and legal costs for representation.
As part of the agreement, the FWC committed to issuing a neutral reference for future employment verifications of Brown and to allowing her to interact with staff and resources of the agency as an external collaborator.
Brown accepted, as a condition of the agreement, not to seek future employment with the FWC.
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA passed away on September 10, 2025, at the age of 31 after being shot during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Her death triggered intense scrutiny over social media expressions that celebrated or mocked the event, and Brown's case became a prime example of the debate surrounding the limits of free speech for public employees outside of working hours.
Trump blamed the "radical left" for Kirk's death, while Utah Governor Spencer Cox described it as a "political assassination."
The ACLU of Florida announced the agreement this Friday under the headline: "Civil rights lawyers secure $485,000 settlement for FWC biologist fired over social media post about Charlie Kirk."
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